The Institute of Respiratory Diseases of the Xinqiao Hospital, the Third Military Medical College has recently developed a "fast diagnosis reagent box for SARS virus'', in Chongqing. The relevant experts in Chongqing said recently after assessment on the reagent box that the diagnosis reagent box for SARS virus can complete the whole process of measuring SARS virus within three hours.

According to experts' introduction, prior to the development of the reagent box the SARS virus was measured by the serum blood detection method, which is limited by antigen production capacity. So that is only suitable for the suspected patients with symptom or patients for their observation and diagnosis. And that is not suitable for large-scale clinical application and for diagnosing suspected patients in initiative stage. The successful development of the reagent box makes up for the insufficiency of the serum blood detection method.

So far the reagent box has not been applied to challenge virus detection. However, it can be ascertained according to its extra high detection rate against cloning virus. The research result can play an important part in the control and early detection of SARS epidemic situation.

By People's Daily Online